Apple Rumoured to shrink connector on new iPhone

A French website has claimed that the new iPhone 5 will shrink its connector down to a smaller pin count - thus rendering all accessories you may have purchased for previous devices useless.

The current 30-pin port used on the iPhone and iPad is common place on all accessories like docks, alarm clocks, players, stereos and more - so its not going to make Apple very popular with its massive userbase if it does go down this path. (Remember VHS to DVD To Blu-Ray to 3D... alot of annoyed people, even if it does generate new streams of income for companies. hmmm)

The new connector is said to be a 19-pin port, though rumours have also suggested 9-pin and 8-pin ports.

However, the leaked connector has 16 pins. This could still be consistent with the 8-pin rumour, since the connector is double sided with eight on each side. Apple has not confirmed any pin number, making it difficult to determine the legitimacy of the photo on that basis alone. But it does make you think - will Apple risk annoying its user base when other phone and device brands are starting to take hold in the market - potentially losing them a lions share of the business.

As early adopters of technology the LGBTI market has a good stake in the Apple process - what do you think of this possible scenario? Apple is expected to announce the new iPhone during a special event on September 12. Rumours suggesting that it will then launch later in September are also gaining traction across tech blogs and sites.